Abstract
While corpus-based instruction has demonstrated efficacy in English-as-a-second-language writing development, its application to non-Indo-European languages remains limited. This study investigates whether integrating corpus-driven activities into Kazakh language classrooms can bolster writing proficiency, grammatical accuracy, and learner engagement among Russian-dominant seventh graders. Using a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test study with 112 Russian-dominant seventh graders in Kazakhstan, this study examined whether integrating corpus-driven activities into Kazakh language classrooms can improve writing proficiency, grammatical accuracy, and learner engagement. A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design was employed, comparing an experimental group receiving corpus-supplemented instruction with a control group receiving standard textbook-based instruction. Repeated-measures analyses of covariance revealed that the six-month-long intervention yielded significant improvements in lexical quality and grammatical word order, alongside moderate gains in verb conjugation. While writing accuracy and case use showed within-group progress, between-group differences were non-significant. Self-reported boredom declined in the treatment group, though the effect size was small and post-intervention comparisons were statistically indistinguishable. Findings suggest that corpus-integrated pedagogy enhances lexical sophistication and select grammatical competencies in L2 Kazakh writing, while its impact on overall accuracy and affective engagement remains nuanced. The study contributes to the scarce literature on data-driven learning in non-Anglophone contexts by demonstrating the partial transferability of corpus methods to agglutinative languages, with implications for L2 writing instruction in typologically diverse settings.